Testimony from Scott & Brooke Dykes...

We, Scott and Brooke Dykes, are so excited to be involved in Cascade Hills Prayer Partner Ministry.  We have been a part of this ministry since it began many years ago, and we are just as excited now (maybe even more) as we were when it began.  It is incredible to see and hear about all the people who are coming to know Christ and are being changed by God's power and love, and it is so exciting to know that we have played a small part in that.  Also, we know that our lives have been so blessed because of this church and because of Bill Purvis, so we consider it an honor to pray for him and the ministry God gives him here at this church.  We love our God, we love our church, we love our pastor, and we love God's people— this is why we are proud to call ourselves Cascade Hills Prayer Partners!

Testimony from Terri Wyrosdick...

I remember well Cascade’s first prayer partner dinner for women. It was held at Green Island Hills Country Club and was very elegant. We ladies felt very special. As Brother Bill shared from his heart about the prayer partners’ ministry, I couldn’t help but catch his vision and feel such a sense of excitement over it. I jumped in with both feet. I added Brother Bill’s name, along with the rest of his family, to my prayer journal. I listed all the various things he asked us to pray for regarding him, his family, and the church. I also included the names of all the staff and their families as well (it was much easier to keep up with back then). My list became so long that I had to break it up into days of the week. I’d pray for Brother Bill every day, but the rest of the staff was relegated to one day per week. My family situation was such that I could not serve at church as much as I would like, but praying for my pastor was something I most definitely could do daily.

I would love to say that everything in my life just got better from that day onward, but such was not the case. Over the past ten years my husband lost his health and his business and became completely disabled. I lost my mother to breast cancer and my father to a massive heart attack while they were just in their early sixties. I’ve spent the last three years in grad school working first on my master’s degree and now on my doctorate while continuing to work full time. At times my life feels like it is spinning totally out of control, and I’m just looking for a place to jump off. To top it off, the past six months have brought a significant decline in my husband’s health, and we’ve yet to find a doctor who can help him. Our next stop is the Mayo Clinic.

In the midst of the craziness of my life, I have a richer relationship with Jesus Christ than I have ever known and a peace that only He can give. I’ve developed an insatiable hunger to know Him even better and to come to truly know what it is to delight myself in the Lord. Max Lucado recently tweeted, “The more hopeless your circumstances, the more likely your salvation.” Thankfully, my salvation was established decades ago, but in the midst of my seemingly hopeless circumstances, I have found a Savior who loves me beyond measure, who carries me through my darkest hours, and who teaches me the wondrous joy of depending solely upon him. I will never know this side of heaven the influence of my prayers on my pastor and my church, but I do know this—my prayers make a difference because the God of this universe says they do, and I feel an overwhelming sense of gratitude just for the privilege of lifting Brother Bill and Cascade Hills Church up in prayer every day. Participating in the prayer partners ministry is a joy and delight to my soul.